Ch. 111..120
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 111-Cold darkness THREE STRIKES AND YOU’RE OUT, AVA.
I read and re–read the note. My heart was beating so hard that I thought it would punch a hole through my chest. I was scared shitless and I didn’t know what to do. This was the third note I was getting.
I had just come from dropping Noah off at school when I found it in front of my door. When I first saw the box wrapped in a red bow, I thought that it was a gift. That is until I opened it and found a dead rat and the note next to it.
I was now panicking because the threats seemed to be getting worse.
I dump the box and the rat in the trash bin before I take my phone and call Reaper. I prayed that he would have answers for me. That by some miracle he had found out who was behind all this.
He answered after the second ring and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ava” he answered roughly. He sounded like he had been smoking.
“Please tell me that you have something for me” I plead desperately.
I know it is rude not even greet him, but I am scared. I am constantly worried and looking over my shoulder. I’ve become so paranoid that anyone I accidentally bump into in the street or store, immediately becomes a suspect.
I haven’t told my family or friends because I don’t want to worry them. If this continues though, I’ll have to tell them and also report it to the police. The more people who are looking into this, the better the chances of finding this bastard.
“I’m sorry, Ava, but I have nothing. No one seems to know anything and all the leads we had turned out to be dead ends” he says remorsefully.
I want to scream and shout. I want to curse the whole damn world, but what would be the use of it? I need this person found, because I couldn’t shake this gut feeling that everything is about to go horribly wrong.
“How can there be nothing? I just got another note and it was attached to a dead rat. I’m afraid, Reaper.
So fucking afraid” I try holding back the tears, but they fall anyway. They stream down my face like waterfall, soaking the top of my dress in the process.
I’m sorry, Ava, but I am doing all that I can” I don’t know what about his words triggered me, but they just did. I feel anger and frustration bubble up and burst throughout my entire body.
Then try harder!” I scream, my voice echoing through the walls.
“Ava” he calls through clenched and I freeze before sagging in defeat.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Reaper. I’m just frustrated and I took it out on you” I apologize when I realize how rude and bratty I sounded.
He sighs, “I know and I get you, but you don’t have to worry about a thing. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, okay?” I don’t answer him. How can I when everything inside me tells me that nothing is going to be okay? That novelbin something really bad will happen.
“Let me call a few of my contacts then I’ll let you know what I find” he adds when I don’t say anything more.
“Okay” Without waiting for another word, I hang up.
I sit there on the kitchen stool as I stare at the dustbin. Thought after thought invade my head. I couldn’t find peace or a moment of respite. I was tired and worn out. I haven’t been able to sleep this past few weeks. I’m suffering from a case of insomnia.
When I do sleep, my dreams are filled with nothing but nightmares. All of them consist of me and my baby dying.
Between thoughts of this new threat and Rowan’s confession a couple of days, I haven’t gotten a time where my mind is still. If I’m not thinking about the notes, then I’m thinking about Rowan’s unexpected confession of love.
Feeling jittery, I stand up and begin pacing. I needed a distraction or else I was going to go absolutely insane.
After a few minutes of pacing I grab my phone and call Letty. It rings, but she doesn’t pick up. I try again, the same thing happens. Maybe/she was in a meeting or something.
I then dial Corrine’s number. She picks after the third ring.
“Hey, love. How are you?” she asks, though she sounded a bit distracted.
I’m good. I was wondering if you would like to go shopping with me?” was desperate. I had enough things for me and my kids, but if it was the only way to distract my mind, then so be it.
“I’m sorry, hun, but I have so much work, I don’t think today will be possible. How about Thursday? I’l make time for you” I am disappointed, but I get her. She has a business to run after all.
“It’s okay. I totally understand” “Thanks. I’ll see you on Thursday, okay?
“Sure” Once we hang up, I stare at my kitchen, I couldn’t stay here until Noah came back from school. I had nothing to do and the last thing I want is to be left alone with my thoughts. That was probably going to end in disaster.
Taking my car keys and the purse I usually store my cards and money, I leave the house. I was going to go to my favorite ice cream shop. Ice cream cures everything.
I get there quickly. Time really flies when you head is preoccupied.
I park across the street and walk to the shop. When I get there I order a big bowl of ice cream. If I couldn’t stop thinking so much, then I was going to give myself a brain freeze. Maybe that will help with stilling my running thoughts.
I take my time as I eat my blueberry swirl and vanilla ice cream. It made me feel better for a while. As I focused on enjoying the flavor, I didn’t think that much. Plus the shop also had free books, so you can enjoy your ice cream as you read.
By the time I was done, I felt so much bette.
I’d been there for like two hours and I thought it was time for me to go home. Since I was more relaxed, maybe I could get some shut eye before Noah come back from school.
When I go to pay, I get this strange feeling. Like warning bells were ringing in my head and soul.
Something inside me told me to stay inside. For some reason my heart felt heavy. Like I had this dark cloud that had suddenly attached itself to me.
Against my better judgement, I pay and leave.
I should have listened to my instincts. I should have stayed in the fucking shop.
I was about to cross the road to the parking lot when I heard a screech of tires, followed by shots.
The last thing I remember is people’s horrified screams and this intense pain right before cold darkness embraced me.
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 112-Anxious heart Rowan “Sir? Is there anything you need me to get for you from the restaurant?” My secretary asks, but I continue staring outside my office window.
The view was really great. It was one of the reasons why I chose it, but today it didn’t offer me the tranquility it usually does.
“No. Not today,” I answer without looking at her.
“Okay then, I’ll be back in thirty minutes” I don’t answer her and after a few seconds I hear the door closing. I sigh in frustration. For some reason the feeling of foreboding clung to me. It surrounded me in waves. Today more so than the previous days.
I don’t know what it is, but my heart is anxious. I can’t settle nor can I fucking focus. It’s like my soul is trying to tell me something, but I can’t figure out what.
Trying to distract myself, I think about Ava and our talk. I get her. Damn do I get her hesitation. I’ve spent more than ten years drilling into her that Emma was the only woman I’ll ever love.
I did everything in my power to show her just how little I cared for her. I’ve spent nine years punishing her for something that was beyond her control. I drilled into her head that I hated her with every fiber of my being.
How then could I turn around and claim to love her?
It’s frustrating as hell, but I understand her. I understand her reluctance to believe me. If the roles had been switched I wouldn’t have believed it so easily.
Apart from all that, I also have to consider the pain I’ve caused her. Nine years of pain and mistreatment isn’t something you get over within a day or week. Hell. It will probably take years to heal the wounds i inflicted. 2 The scars will remain with her though and considering the damage I caused, I can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever forgive me.
I want her. I want her in my life. I want to build a life with her. I crave that more than anything, but if she doesn’t take me back, then let it be so. I’ll have no one to blame but myself. It will be my penance for the hurt I’ve caused over the years.
I try to focus on her. To focus on her beautiful face and tactics I could use to get her to take me back, but I’ve never felt this way before. Never had this unshakable feeling like something bad was going to happen. I try to assure myself, but it doesn’t work. I stand up and start pacing again. I felt wired. Like I was going crazy.
I run my hand through my hair, probably messing it up, but I don’t fucking care. Not when I feel like my fucking heart was being squeezed by a tight fist.
I turn on the TV. Maybe hearing other people’s voices will help me calm down. It was better than listening to my own since it was distorted, jumbled and confused the hell out of me.
I don’t know for how long I stood pacing through the room when my door opened. I turn to find Gabe. He looked like hell froze over. He was breathing heavily, his eyes looked bloodshot and there was worry and anguish in them.
I still in my tracks. Fuck. My brother is usually impeccable and not easily fazed. We share that trait as twins. If he looks anything other than that then something serious must be wrong.
“What is it?” I ask as my heart rate picks up.
Fuck was it our parent’s? Maybe Noah?
“Ro…” he starts but doesn’t finish his sentence. His voice was mixed with pain.
“Fuck, Gabe. Tell me what’s wrong. Is it mom or dad?” I see him swallow, before his eyes focus on me.
“It’s Ava” he finally says.
I’m about to ask him what’s wrong with Ava when an unrecognizable voice mentions her name. I begin to turn in the direction of the TV.
“Please, Rowan…don’t watch it, focus on me” My brother begs me, but I don’t pay attention to him.
I needed to know what the hell the reporters have to say about Ava.
BREAKING NEWS.
The headlines written in big, bold letters.
“News just in, Member of the Sharp family and founder of The Hope Foundation was today gunned down by unknown people. We are yet to know the state she’s in, but the gunman opened fire to what seems to be a hit targeted at her. The video you’re about to watch maybe disturbing to some” 2/4 +15 BONUS I feel my knees weaken, but nothing could have prepared me to watching the woman I love being shot multiple times The video showed Ava as she was walking out of an ice cream shop. Her eyes were downcast and she had a small frown on her face. Whoever took the video captured a black SUV with tinted windows speed in her direction. Just before the drove past her, a masked person, rolled the window down just enough to fit the gun, before shooting several times. They sped past her, leaving Ava to crumble on the ground in a pool of blood The video ends, and the presenter comes back on.
“We are yet to establish why these gangsters would shoot a pregnant woman, but stay tuned as we try to find out.” She proceeds to talk about the damage to the shop and how two other people were injured, but that doesn’t concern me. My focus was Ava. I couldn’t erase the image of her body lying motionless in a pool of her own blood from my mind “Rowan?” I hear his voice but it doesn’t registers.
Nothing fucking registers in my head. I felt so fucking broken I felt lost. My heart was fractured to tiny pieces. How am I supposed to survive if something happens to her?
“Ro…” His hand on my shoulder makes me jump into action.
“I need to go to her…I need to see her” I struggle to say against the waves of emotions that were choking me. I don’t wait to hear what he says, before I am out of my office door. I rush down the corridor towards my private elevator. My employees stare at me in confusion. I probably looked like a deranged person, but I don’t give a damn.
Jumping to the elevator, I key it in for the underground parking. My need to see her intensified with every bit of my heart.
I got underground and immediately rushed to the reserved parking space. My car was there and so was Gabe’s.
I struggled to unlock the doors. My hands were shaking and I couldn’t stop the tremble no matter what.
The keys fell out of my grip, frustrating me even further.
Fuck” I yell, kicking the tire in anger, fear and frustration.
+15 BONUS Bending down, I pick the keys and manage to unlock the doors. I had my hand on the handle, about to open it when a hand stopped me.
I turn around pissed off, about to lash out when his voice stops.
“I’m not about to let you fucking drive while you’re in this state” he says before pushing forward his hand. ” Give me the keys, I’ll take you to the hospital.” I deflate and hand him the keys. He was right. I wasn’t in the right mental state to drive anywhere. The last thing Noah needed is to have both parents in the hospital.
I get in and Gabe starts the car, all the while praying that Ava was okay because I don’t how I’ll survive if I were to lose her.
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 113-Code red Fuck. What did this have to happen to her? Why would someone do this to her? Were there signs that i ignored? Was she in danger, and I didn’t notice?
The questions keep bombarding my head as Gabe drives out of the underground parking. I would never forgive myself if she was in danger and I didn’t notice it, or even do something about.
“Is she alive?” I ask as the fear of his answer chocks me.
She had to be alive. She just had to.
Gabe gives me a side way glance. “I don’t know much, but I know she’s alive” ‘Barely‘ The words aren’t said, but they are implied.
I saw the video. Whoever was after her wanted to make sure that Ava died. That she didn’t have a chance of surviving. I don’t know the extent of her wounds, but I know at least two bullets hit her.
“Do you know which hospital she’s at?” I ask, my voice sounding gruff even to my own ears.
I had been so focused on getting to her, that I didn’t even bother asking which hospital she was taken to. I just wanted to be there for her.
“Yeah, don’t worry. I called around and got the info. I was told they’re taking her to Avenue Hospital” he answers.
At least they had the mind to take her to the best hospital in the city.
I try to calm my heart. Try to breathe through the panic that threatened to drown me. It’s hard though. So fucking hard. I won’t get a moment of peace until I know that she’s okay.
“She’s going to be okay, Ro” Gabe tells me after a minute or so of silence.
I want to be confident about that, but I am not. She might survive, but what about the baby? Not only was she shot, but when she fell to the ground that impact couldn’t have been good for the baby.
If she survived, but the baby died in the process, she would be devastated. I know Ava. The loss would destroy her. It would probably be her undoing.
“Can you please hurry up?” 1 demand.
It felt like we were moving at a snail pace. Like time was crawling. Why the fuck is it always like that?
slow motion.
+15 BONUS “I’m going as fast as I can, Ro” “It’s not fast enough. I need to be with her” I tell him desperately.
Why can’t he understand that I have to be there? That I need to be there? What if she woke up and she was all alone with no one by her side? She needs me by her side.
I should have trusted my instincts when I first got that sense of dread. I should have listened. I should have dug deeper and made sure that all my loved ones were protected. I failed to listen to fucking intuition, and now Ava has paid the price.
“Do you have any idea who could be behind this?” Gabe asks.
I know what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to distract me so I wouldn’t focus so much on all the negative stuff.
“Reaper” I growl his name in anger. “He’s the only one with motive.” If it’s him, then he has won. He has managed to destroy me and get his revenge. Nothing he can do could hurt as much as this.
“What about Noah. You have to tell him” Gabe adds.
Fuck. I had completely forgotten about him. He was going to be so heartbroken. He loves his mom so much and this is going to hurt him.
“What am I going to tell him? How am I supposed to face him and tell him that his mother was fucking shot? That I wasn’t able to protect her” I feel the avalanche of emotions try to suffocate me. I can’t fall apart now. Noah needed me and so does Ava. My emotions will just have to fucking wait until I can deal with them.
“It wasn’t your fault, Rowan. You couldn’t have predicted any of this” I wanted it to be true, but the guilt was too powerful. I should have just listened to my intuition.
I stay quiet because there is nothing to say. A few minutes later, we arrive at the hospital. I don’t wait for Gabe to park the car. I just jump out while it’s still moving and rush inside.
“Ava Sharp” I almost shout when I get to the nurse’s station.
One of the nods and motions for me. “Come this way, she was brought in about ten minutes ago. She’s currently in the emergency room” “How is she? How is the baby?” “I’m sorry Mr. Woods, but I don’t know. The doctors are with her and I was given directions to guide her family to the waiting room when they arrive” I want to scream and yell at her, but I know that won’t do a thing. It won’t help in anyway.
She leads me to the waiting room, and then proceeds to leave a few second later. I’m left with my racing thoughts and a dam full of worry. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, I feel small arms wrap around me.
I turn to face the intruder only to find my mom staring back at me.
“Mom” I whisper. I feel my eyes tear up, but I refuse to let the tears fall.
I’ve never felt so helpless. So weak.
“She’s going to be fine. You just have to have faith” I nod my head unable to force any word out of my mouth.
“Have you heard anything from the doctors?” it’s only when I hear Letty’s voice, that I realize that everyone was here.
Travis, Kate, my dad, Gabe, Corrine and even Emma. The only ones that were missing were Nora and Theo.
“No” I answer. “Have you informed her parents?” “Yes. They traveled yesterday on a business trip, but they are on their way back. It will probably take them at least four hours before they are back” I turn to face my brother as something hits me. I couldn’t let Noah hear it from teachers. If someone was going to tell him, then it will have to be me.
“Gabe, get one of our contacts to take the video down” “On it” he says, before taking out his phone and stepping a few feet away.
“I need someone to get Noah” I murmur, my eyes focused on the emergency door.
Corrine answers. “I’ve already talked to Calvin. He’ll pick him up and bring him here as soon as possible” I see Emma going still at the mention of Calvin’s name, but I honestly don’t care. Her issues with him weren’t important right now.
The door to ER burst open and a doctor comes out. We all stand and face him.
“Are you all Ava’s family?” “Yes” I answer. “How is she?” “Her wounds are extensive, but our main concern is the baby and the bullet that is lodged in her skull” he answers truthfully.
I hear the women’s gasps, but I don’t pay them any attention. My focus is on what the doctor is saying.
“Since Ava is unconscious, we need permission to perform a C–section” “But she’s only six months along” Corrine cries.
“Yes. I failed to mention that one of the bullet hit her stomach causing the amniotic sac to rapture. If we don’t do something, we might lose the baby” My breathing becomes labored and it literally becomes hard to breathe. Fuck. This is worse than I imagined. Worry for both mother and baby consumes me.
“Go ahead” I murmur. If it was the only way to save the baby, then so be it.
The moment those words are out of my mouth, an alarm starts blaring and the lights on top of the emergency turns red. I knew what that meant. It was a code fucking red.
A nurse rushes outside and whispers something in the doctor’s ears. I see the panic in both their right before the doctor turns to face us.
eyes “Ava just went into cardiac arrest. The rest of the doctors are doing everything they can but we need to be prepared. In these cases we may need to make a decision and that’s where you come in” he says and novelbin the nurse picks up from where he left.
“Given Ava’s injury both may not survive, so we can only save one of them. Who will you have us save? The mother or the baby?” The blow of her words hit me square in the chest. How can they ask me to choose? I can’t lose Ava, but choosing her over her baby is a sure way to make her hate me for life.
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 114-The wait I stare at the doctor as if I’m a damn idiot who can’t comprehend what he just said. In my defense, his words didn’t register wholly with me. He was asking me to choose between Ava and her baby. Does he know how difficult that is?
“Mr. Woods, time is of the essence. We need to know your decision,” he all but begs.
I open my mouth, but no words come out. I try again, and the same thing fucking happens.
“Mr. Woods?” the nurse calls, concern in her voice.
“The baby,” Letty’s soft voice suddenly says, breaking the silence. “Save the baby, if it comes down to it.” The doctor and nurse nod their heads before rushing back to the ER. I turn to face Letty with mixed feelings waging war inside me.
My look must have communicated something because she hardens her eyes in defiance before speaking.
“Don’t look at me like that, Rowan. This is what Ava would have wanted,” she says through gritted teeth.
Corrine comes to the defense of her friend.
“She’s right. Ava would have picked her baby over herself any day, any time. If we picked her over the child, she would have hated us.
I deflate after she voices what I was thinking just a few minutes ago. I know she’s right, but that doesn’t take away the heaviness I feel in my heart.
I would never wish her baby harm. All I pray right now is that it doesn’t come down to that. I hope that both of them make it. Ava deserves to know happiness, and her baby deserves to live.
I resume my seat and wait. It killed me to wait, but what choice do I have? I’m not a doctor, so I can’t really help her. All I can do is continue praying.
I don’t remember the last time I prayed. Probably when I was still a kid in Sunday school. Right now, I’m willing to pray to anyone who’ll listen and answer my request. If it was possible to trade places with her, then I would have gladly done so, even if it meant that I wouldn’t have survived.
As long as she got to live her life, then I would do it. I would sacrifice everything I have right now just to see her scowling or glaring at me. I would give up the world to reverse what happened to her if I could.
“It’s my fault.” I turn towards the voice to find Letty silently crying.
1/3 “She’d tried calling me, but I was unreachable. When I got her missed call, I told myself I’d call her after i got out of work. I should have just called her back immediately. ” Travis pulls her into his arms as she continues to cry.
“It wasn’t your fault, Letty. You couldn’t have predicted this” “He’s right Letty, if anyone is to blame, then it should be me. I picked up her call. She wanted us to go shopping, but I was busy, so I asked her if we could postpone. If only I’d gone with her. Maybe I could have done something to prevent her from getting hurt.” She had her arms wrapped around herself as if she were cold. Just like Letty, she was crying.
Looking at them, I see the love for their friend shining through their eyes. They haven’t known each other for long, but their bond is unmistakable.
“None of you could have predicted something like this happening, so don’t blame yourself. The only one responsible is the bastard that hurt,” Kate tells them in a trembling voice.
“Playing the blame game right now won’t help. We need to focus on Ava and the baby. We should send our best prayers for them,” my mom adds.
I don’t say anything. I just focus on the emergency room, waiting for someone to come through the door.
Fuck. This was killing me. The waiting. The worrying. The uncertainty. I just need someone to fucking tell me that she is going to be okay. That she and the baby were out of danger. That they will be okay.
Everything in me screamed and begged for a silver lining. For a kind of miracle. My heart and soul begged for the angel of death to stay away. Their souls weren’t his to claim. Not now. It wasn’t their time yet; how can it be when they’ve both barely begun to live?
“Remember when we went to the mall and she didn’t see the glass wall in front of her?” Letty says with a smile.
Corrine chuckles. “Yeah. She hit it right in the face before she fell on her ass.” “She was so embarrassed, but she couldn’t stop laughing about it because it was so funny.” They laughed, and some of the others chuckled. There was just something about it that rubbed me wrong. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to remain quiet.
“Or the time the hot waiter caught her talking about how cute he is. We tried signaling to her that he was right behind her, but she didn’t get it, not until the man cleared his voice,” Corrine says with a fond smile on her face.
“She was mortified. She begged us to leave because she couldn’t face him after that.” Letty adds. “He 2/3 to that place again,” +15 BONUS There was a moment of silence. Everyone was probably lost in memory lane. For the others, there probably weren’t any good memories. After all, they’d treated Ava like shit, but Letty and Corrine had lots of them.
We have so many memories to share with Noah and her newborn. So much to tell them about how amazing their mom is” When those words leave Letty’s mouth, I blow up.
“Can you just stop!” I growl as I feel anger bubble up inside me. She had no right to talk about Ava like that.
“What? Stop what?” she stutters.
“Stop talking about her like she’s fucking gone!” I shout. “She isn’t. She’s still alive, and she’s going to pull through.” They were talking about Ava as if she were already dead. That’s what pissed me off. You only talk about someone in the past tense if you believe that she’s not making it out of the hospital. 1 “Tha–that’s not what…” 15 Her response is cut short when the doors to the ER open and a different doctor comes out.
“How is Ava doing, doctor?” Kate asks while her fingers fidgeted.
“We’re now prepping her for surgery in order to remove the bullets. The C–section went smoothly on the baby’s part.
Everyone sighs in relief, but I feel like there’s something the doctor isn’t saying. What did he mean when he said the C–section went smoothly for the baby? What about Ava? Did that mean it went the opposite way?
Before I can ask him, he speaks again.
“Congratulations! You have a baby girl.
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 115-In a coma I stand rooted in my spot as the words keep ringing in my ears.
A baby girl.
Ava has a baby girl. She has a little daughter. Noah is going to be so fucking happy. He has been praying that he gets a sister, and his prayer has been answered.
“Can I see her?” “I know you’re eager to see your daughter, Mr. Woods, but you’ll have to wait a bit until we’re done checking her,” he says.
At first, his words don’t make sense to me, but soon enough, I realize that he assumed that I was the baby’s father. I don’t mind it at all; it just came as a fucking shock.
“She’s premature since she’s only twenty–six weeks old, and given the trauma she faced when Ava was shot and fell to the ground, we’ll place her in an incubator. She’ll be in NICU until we feel she’s healthy enough to be with family.” O I notice that he has not mentioned anything about Ava. Does that mean they have no hopes of her surviving?
My heart rate increases at that possibility. She has to survive. She just has to. Otherwise, how are we supposed to live without her?
“You have to be prepared though. We will do everything in our power to make sure she survives, but you have to know that she may not. If she does, she may have severe disability such as cerebral palsy, learning difficulties or hearing and vision problems” “But that is just a probability, right? It is not something that is set in stone.” I ask him, already feeling sorry for the little girl.
She came into the world too early, and already she’s faced and will face more than most people will ever face in their entire lives.
“Yes. It’s just a possibility, but it doesn’t always happen. We just prefer giving parents all the angles in case something happens.” I nod my head.
“What about Ava?” I ask before he can turn and walk away.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything right now. Her situation is delicate, so as of now we aren’t sure how things will turn out.” He doesn’t give us time to process anything before he walks back into the room.
I stand numbly as his words hit me like sharp shards of glass. They pierce my heart and soul and cause a load of pain.
Minutes later, a nurse comes to let us know that Ava is now in surgery. I thought I would see her before they took her to surgery, but she told me that they used a different door.
She said that her wounds, especially the one on her head, wasn’t pretty. They couldn’t allow her family to see her like that.
After she leaves, I take my seat and continue praying to a God I have lost touch with. I bargain with him, I threaten him, and finally, I fucking beg him. Beg him to listen to my prayers. Beg him to save the woman I love.
“Can I get you something to eat, Ro?” My mom asks me.
I shake my head. I couldn’t even stomach the thought of food right now, let alone eat it. I was a nervous fucking wreck. Food was the last thing on my mind.
Gabe takes the seat next to me when mom vacates it. With dad sitting on my other side. I don’t like admitting weakness, but in this moment, I am. I am weak and helpless, and I didn’t know how to stop feeling that way.
Time passes with no word from the doctors. Before I know it, the waiting room door opens, and Noah comes running to me. His body collides with mine and I take time to just breathe his scent in. It calms me, but not by much.
I spot Calvin entering with Gunner. I give him a nod to say thank you, which he reciprocates. Emma freezes upon seeing them, but Kate’s eyes fill with tears when her eyes land on her grandson.
“Dad, where is mom? I asked Cal why he was picking me up instead of mom, but he said, You’ll explain everything,” he says, a mask of concern firmly on his face.
Damn this was hard. I had time to come up with a way of delivering the news, but words fail me.
“Is she having the baby? Is that why we are at the hospital?” he pushes.
I take a calming breath before opening my mouth to speak.
“Your mom was hurt really badly, Buddy. The doctors are with her right now and they’re doing everything to make sure that she’ll be fine.” 2/4 15 BONUS My heart breaks at seeing the tears that fill his eyes. He shouldn’t be going through this. He shouldn’t be here worrying about his beloved mother.
“What about the baby?” His voice is hoarse when she asks that I smile at him. “You have a baby sister, Noah. Just like you wanted ” His eyes widen, and wonder fills his face, right before a smile takes over his features.
“Can I see her?” “Not yet. Not until the doctors are done checking her out to make sure she’s fine” The smile stays in place for a while until it starts slowly slipping. The tears that he had controlled, start falling down his cheek. He doesn’t make a sound though. He silently cries.
“Will she die like grandpa? I don’t want her to leave me, dad.” His voices catches at the end and I pull him into my arms.
I hug him to my chest while fighting my emotions and trying to be strong for him.
That is a question he shouldn’t have to wonder. A possibility he shouldn’t have to consider.
Whoever did this to Ava was going to pay dearly. He or she messed with the wrong person. For the pain they have caused they are going to feel it tenfold.
“No, she won’t. Your mom is strong. I’m very sure that she’ll pull through” I murmur in his ear.
We stay like that for a while before he lets me go and climbs on my thigh. He then lays his head on my chest and holds me tightly. Noah is a strong boy, and the fact that he’s behaving this way shows just how vulnerable he is.
We continue waiting. I stand up, pace, and then sit down over and over again. Noah never leaves my side, even for a moment. Every minute that passed without a word, I slowly die inside. I was afraid that the delay meant that things weren’t going as was expected 1 It was hours after Ava had been taken in for surgery when her parents arrived.
“Where is my daughter?” Nora rushes in. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy.
This is the first time that I have seen Nora and Theo disheveled. They’ve always been put together. Even when Ethan was sentenced. Yet today they looked like hell had frozen over.
It’s understandable, though. They lost more than twenty–five years with their daughter, and now they face the risk of losing her for good.
Before anyone can answer, the door opens, and a doctor comes out. The look on his face tells me everything I need to know. He didn’t have good news.
I turn to my mom “Could you take Noah and Gunner to get some snacks, I’m sure they’re hungry.” She nods her head and calls the boys to her. Noah gives me a look, but I assure him that everything will be okay.
I know I fucking lied, but I can’t have him here in case the doctor delivers terrible news.
“Mr. Woods…” he begins, but stops.
I grit my teeth and force my jaw to work.
“Fucking say it,” I snarl as I brace myself against what might be an announcement of a death.
“She’s alive, but she slipped into a coma during surgery,” he says calmly, delivering one more blow that none of us were expecting.
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 116-“What do you mean she slipped into a coma?” Theo asks with an unmistakable tremble in his voice.
My heart was once again thudding against my ribcage. It felt like it wanted to punch a whole right through my fucking chest.
I try to think clearly, but it’s like my brain can’t function. Time slowed down as the doctor spoke. All I heard was a ringing in my ear.
I stumble back and fall on the seat I had vacated. Gabe and my dad put their hands on me, but I shake them off. I didn’t want their comfort. I wanted the doctor to tell me that the surgery had been a success and that in a few hours Ava would wake up.
“She had a total of four bullets. One hit her head, the second hit her chest, the third hit her stomach, and the final one hit her thigh. We were able to remove three of them successfully, except for the one in her skull. It was lodged too deep and removing it would have killed her.” Fuck. I don’t know what to feel or think about that. He is telling us that Ava will have to live with a bullet stuck in her head. How is any of that fair? She was okay this morning before things took a turn for the worst.
‘At least she’s alive,‘ a voice whispers.
I ignore it. She was alive, but would she stay alive? That was the main fucking question.
over, had to drill her skull to drain “We were able to stop the bleeding, both internal and external. We, fluid, which helped with the swelling in her brain. She flat–lined twice. It’s after the second time that she slipped into a comma. For now, she’s in ICU.” If I thought nothing could hurt me worse than seeing Ava get shot, then I was wrong. Hearing that we almost lost her twice destroyed me. It is like being stabbed by a thousand sharp knives. I wouldn’t wish anyone this fucking pain. Not even my worst enemy.
“Will she wake up?” I breathe hoarsely. “Will she be able to make a full recovery?” “At this point, we can’t really say. This isn’t an induced coma, and we can’t assure you that she’ll wake up in a few days. She might wake up tomorrow, in a few days, in a few months, or she might not wake up at all. For now, we’ll give it a few days to see whether she’ll wake up.” The possibility that she might not wake up nearly brought me to my knees.
I push those thoughts away. I can’t think like that. She’s strong; she’ll wake up. In a few fucking days, she’ll be up, glaring and snapping at me.
“What about the bullet in her brain? Will living with it have any effect on her?” Nora asks as tears run down her cheek.
I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this must be for her. I can’t ever imagine facing the likelihood of losing Noah. It’s just too much to even think about.
“There are some who live perfectly normal lives, and there are others who are affected. She might have trouble remembering things, have speech and hearing issues, or have trouble recognizing words, letters, and numbers. These are just a few things that might be affected by the kind of injury to her brain. Right now, we can’t say for sure. We have to wait for her to wake up.” If she wakes up, He doesn’t say the words verbally, but it’s in the way he looks at us. The uncertainty is in his eyes.
Nora nods as more tears fall down her face. Theo pulls her into his arms and hugs her close to his chest.
The strong couple I know is nowhere to be seen. The only ones standing in their place are two concerned, heartbroken parents.
“Since it’s already past visiting hours, you’ll have to come back tomorrow, and even then, we will only allow one person in the room with her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave.” We nod at him, and he leaves just as mom comes back with the boys.
Noah immediately comes to me, while Gunner goes to his father.
“What did the doctor say? Is mom okay?” He looks up at me with hope, shinning his eyes.
This is the hard part of being a parent. Knowing whether to tell your kid the fucking truth or lie to them.
Should I tell him that the doctors aren’t really sure his mother will wake up from the coma, or should I lie and tell him that she’s okay?
“The doctors aren’t sure, Bud. We’ll just have to wait and pray.” I decide to go with honesty.
If lied and, God forbid, Ava never wakes up, he would end up hating me for lying that his mom was okay.
He doesn’t say anything. Just looks at me before looking at the floor.
1 After a few minutes of silence, I turn and face the rest.
“Since we won’t be able to see her today, I think you should all go home, get some rest, and come back tomorrow.” “No,” both Corrine and Letty refuse at the same time, followed by Nora and Theo.
i try to convince them that I’ll let them know if something comes up, but they refuse to budge. In the end, everyone decides to stay except for Emma, Cal, Kate, and my parents.
My parents agree to go home only after I tell them that Noah can’t stay in the hospital and that he needs someone with him. Cal agrees for the sake of Gunner. The boy was already yawning even though you could see the worry in his face.
Gabe sits by my side after they leave. There is little talking. Mostly we just sit in silence, that is until Brian arrives.
I’m sorry I got here late. We had to interview the witnesses about Ava’s shooting. I’m really sorry for what happened to her.” novelbin I nod my head.
“Have you found anything?” “The witnesses couldn’t give us anything beyond what we already know and have seen on the video” Shit. I was hoping they would have something. A starting point.
“Is she in any state to be questioned?” 1 My face shuts down, and my voice hardens. I know it’s not his fault since he doesn’t know the details, but it just pisses me off.
“She’s in a coma,” I grit out.
“I’m sorry,” he says remorsefully, but it doesn’t do anything to elevate what I feel inside.
“Is there any information you can give me? Has anyone been threatening her? Following her? Any suspicious person lurking around her? Any information, no matter how small, could help.” I shake my head. “None. I have nothing.” He just nods before turning to the rest.
“I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but when she called me, she sounded stressed and desperate. It may not be anything, but she just didn’t sound like herself. I thought that maybe she was struggling with her past traumas given that the news about Gunner triggered her.” “Who is Gunner?” “Emma’s son. She kept him hidden until Ava found out the truth and revealed it to us,” Travis answers, 3/4 *15 BONUS Emma looks at the floor, hiding her emotions.
“Why would she keep him hidden?” “She didn’t want him in her life, and she didn’t want us to know about him. Calvin, who is the dad, and Gunner moved next door to Ava. That’s how she was able to connect the pieces.” Brian was now fully facing Travis. “And how did that go down?” “Not well. We are all pissed at her and since she still insists on this stupidity, mom gave her an ultimatum:
mend the fences or we cut her off from our lives.” “I’m sure Emma didn’t take that well.” Brian questions further.
“Not at all. She was and still is pissed, especially at Ava for revealing the truth.” Brain rubs his chin as his mind works. You can clearly see the wheels turning in his head. I’ve known Brian for a long time. Something was going on inside his head.
“I see,” he finally says after a while.
“See what, exactly?” Gabe and I ask him at the same time.
“According to what Travis has told me, I may have my first suspect.” “What?” Travis asks, just as Corrine whispers, “Who?” He gives a firm and thin smile. “Emma” The rest look at him like he has grown another head or something. I just stare at him contemplating. If you look at it from his angle then sure, Emma might have motive.
The only question is: is her anger, hatred, and bitterness towards Ava enough to want her dead and to actually plan a hit on her?
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 117-“That’s not possible. Emma could never do something like this.” Travis defends his sister.
Sure, he was pissed at her, but when it came down to it, she was still his baby sister. He would defend her with everything that he had.
“Son, in my line of work, anything is possible,” Brian says tonelessly.
He then takes out a note book and begins scribbling down something. It’s only for a few minutes before he looks up at us.
“But seriously, Emma wouldn’t hurt her; sure, she and Ava don’t see eye–to–eye, but she would never hurt her,” Travis insists, while the rest just stay quiet.
I want to believe that Emma wouldn’t do something like this, but I wasn’t sure any more. The woman who came back months ago isn’t the same woman who left years ago.
She was filled with so much anger and hatred towards Ava. So much so that she would threaten a child and make up fucking lies just to get Ava in trouble.
“I’m not saying that she did it; all I’m saying is that she’s a suspect,” Brian clarifies. “Hatred and anger are pretty strong motives to have someone killed as some sort of revenge. It’s also not coincidental that Ava’s shooting happened not less than three weeks after she revealed Emma’s big secret. One that she had gone to great lengths to hide.” Looking at things, everything pointed to Emma. She’s the only one Ava has had a falling out with recently, and given the strenuous relationship, it’s easy to see how Emma could have snapped and hired someone to kill Ava.
I look at Travis; he looks like he has been struck by lightning. I see it in his eyes. He regrets why he opened his mouth, because he might have just gotten his sister in trouble.
“What about Reaper?” I ask, remembering he had targeted Ava and Emma.
“Yeah, I considered him, but for some odd reason, I feel like he isn’t behind this. His beef is with you. Sure, he kidnapped Ava and Emma, but from those of his men we captured that day, he was just messing with you. He didn’t plan on killing them—well, Ava, that is. He didn’t plan on killing her. He specifically told them not to lay a hand on Ava or he would slit their throats.” I’m surprised at that little piece of information, but I don’t show it.
“That’s odd,” I mutter as I feel my brows pull together.
“Definitely. Even more weird is that the man who hit Ava died in prison under mysterious circumstances,” he adds, “Anyway, as I was saying, his target is you. It has always been you. I believe that if he ever get his revenge, he’ll either kill you or ruin your business.” Both Gabe and I snort in unison. The bastard can try, but he won’t succeed in ruining my company. Many have tried. Fuck. Even the Howell’s did try, and they still failed. As for killing me, well, we’ll just have to see.
“So you honestly don’t believe it was him?” Nora asks in a small voice.
“Yes. Whoever shot Ava had a grudge with her. A huge one. It’s in the way he or she shot her. Reaper has no grudge with Ava so he wouldn’t go after her the way this person or people did.” He confirmed what I had already suspected. Whoever shot at Ava wanted her dead. That is the reason for the multiple shots. He or she didn’t want her to escape death.
“What about the number plate of the SUV they used?” Theo looks like he has aged so much in the few hours we’ve been here.
“Nothing on it. They took out the plate, so we only know that it was black,” Brian sighs. “There are probably thousands of black SUVS in this city.” We stay silent for a while. Each of us is lost in our own thoughts. There was so much going on in my head that I could barely think straight.
I pushed all of those thoughts to the back of my head. What matters is Ava’s health. I can deal with who wanted her dead after she recovers. novelbin “Okay, I’ll leave you all and go back to the station.” Brian breaks the silence. “For now, I’ll advise you to make sure not too many people know she’s alive. The last thing we need is whoever is after her coming back to finish the job, though I’ll send two officers to guard the door to her room, just in case.” I nod my head, and Gabe leads him out.
“I’ll call our contacts, and you call yours,” Theo says. “Let’s make sure word of her being alive doesn’t get out until she’s out of danger.” “Yes.” I agree.
I take my phone and begin making calls.
This was sure as hell going to be a long night.
I wake up to someone tapping my shoulder.
Fuck 1 had stapt in an uncomfortable angle and now my back and neck hurt like a bitch.
I open my eyes to find that it’s already morning. I look up to find an older nurse staring at me with a warm smile.
“Morning, Mr. Woods, I just wanted to inform you that I’ll be Miss Ava’s nurse.” I give her what I think resembles a smile, but I can’t really be sure.
“You can call me Rowan.” I look at her room door and find the two officers still there. We had been transferred to the ICU waiting room sometime during the night.
“Okay then. My name is Rosa,” she says, kindness radiating from her. “Is there anything I can get you?” “No, but thank you.” I don’t think I can stomach anything right now. “When can we see Ava and the baby?” She looks down and checks her watch. “In about two hours or so. That’s when visiting hours start.” I nod my head and thank her. By the time she leaves, all the rest are already up. Some looked confused at first, until yesterday’s events hit them.
“What did the nurse want?” Nora asks.
“She just wanted to introduce herself as Ava’s nurse,” I mumble.
My thoughts were jumbled, and I was bone tired. Maybe I should have asked her for coffee and maybe some breakfast since I haven’t eaten a fucking thing since yesterday.
“Did she say when we could see the baby and Ava?” I was about to answer her when someone entering the waiting room caught my attention. Maybe it’s the fact that I didn’t sleep much last night, but it takes a while for my brain to load.
The minute his face registers, my face shuts down and hardens. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
What the hell was Reaper doing here?v
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 118-I feel as ay anger starts rising to the surface. I know what Brian said, but I still haven’t ruled out Reaper from my list of suspects.
I mean, come the fuck on, he had Ava kidnapped. You just don’t do that unless you have an ulterior motive. Plus, what Brian says just doesn’t make sense. Why would he kidnap her and then force me to make a decision if he really didn’t want her to get hurt?
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl at him.
His eyes sweep over me to the rest. They’ve all stood up in guard, but that doesn’t seem to faze him at all.
One thing that makes Reaper really dangerous is the fact that he was maniac. Sure, I am cold, but Reaper takes that to a whole new level. He is a sociopath and a psychopath, all wrapped in a pretty ugly and deadly bow.
“I’m here to see, Ava. Why else do you think I would be here? To see your sorry ass?” he asks with a devious smirk.
I grind my teeth, willing myself not to start a fightin kicked out, and I couldn’t have that.
a fucking hospital. It would be the sure way to get “And you honestly think we believe that? Gabe asks him. “You kidnapped her a few months ago.” He turns those deadly eyes towards my brother. I’m not easily fazed, but Reapers eyes radiate a kind of coldness that had you feeling chills down your spine.
His eyes were dead and cold. Almost like the man didn’t have a fucking soul. Maybe he didn’t. Who the fuck knows anyway?
“I personally don’t care what the fuck you think because I am not here for any of you.” he doesn’t lose his composure at all. “Now are you going to tell me how she is or should I find her doctor myself?” His condescending tone, not to mention his attitude was grating on my nerves. I don’t even understand what he is doing here in the first place.
“Why would we tell you that? For all we know, you’re the bastard that put a hit on her” I tell him through clenched.
He stares at me with wide eyes, before throwing his head back and laughing. It rings off the walls of the waiting room, leaving goosebumps all over my skin.
He suddenly stops and his gaze fixes on me.
“Trust me, if I wanted Ava dead, she’d be dead” he says in that same icy tone.
“Then if you’re not the one responsible, then why are you here? I don’t really see how her health is any of your concern” Nora speaks.
His gaze leaves mine before it sweeps over the rest. They finally rest on someone behind me. I slowly turn to check who he was looking at. It’s Corrine.
He lingers there for a while. He looks enraptured while Corrine looked like she couldn’t keep her eyes of him. He finally pulls his gaze away with what I am damn sure is great difficulty.
Interesting.
He focuses on Nora. “Well she’s carrying my niece, of course I will be concerned about her” He delivers the line smoothly, but leaves us shocked.
The man must be delusional or something. There is no way I just heard him right. How the fuck could he be the baby’s uncle. I don’t think he is related to Ava in anyway. Unless he’s a long lost brother of hers.
“Th–that’s impossible” Letty stammers.
By Nora and Theo’s reaction, Reaper couldn’t be their son, so if he was telling the truth then he is related to the baby some other way.
I study him and that’s when it clicks.
“You’re Ethan’s brother” I announce as the similarities ring in my head.
“Bingo” “But how?” Nora whispers. “When we adopted Ethan we were told that he had no family left” “I was in juvie then, word got back to me from one of my father’s men that Ethan was in foster care. I told them to mess with his records so that it seemed like our dad was the only family he had.” He pauses.
Like I told Ava, I wanted him to have a chance at a normal life. So that’s what I gave him. I didn’t want him to turn out a criminal” “And yet he still ended up in prison,” I tell him sarcastically.
He laughs, but this time it isn’t chilly. It’s sort of warm. If you can even call it that.
“Ava said the same damn thing” ” We are quiet for a while until Theo speaks.
“From your tone of voice, it seems you’ve been around my daughter” “I can’t say round…we’ve been communicating.” He begins.
He then tells us everything. His plan when he kidnapped Ava and how he went to her afterwards and asked her if he could be in the baby’s life. Ava, bless her kind soul which will one day probably get her in trouble, accepted.
“You do realize that if the police ever find out you were in contact with her, she’ll be in trouble?” Corrine asks.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got to a plan in the works” he gives her a mischievous smile, but doesn’t say anything more.
“Since you were in communication with her, did she ever mention anything to you? Maybe she felt unsafe or threatened? Anything at all” I plead with him. We needed something to give us a start on where to look.
Reaper tells us about when Ava first got the note and proceeds to tell us about the two more that came after. She got the last note yesterday. The same day she was short.
I get this ugly feeling when I think of her going to Reaper instead of me. Before it can consume me, I push it away. Right now that didn’t matter. Not when she was lying in a coma.
“I hate that I wasn’t able to protect her. I should have dug deeper, maybe I could have prevented all this” I recognize an emotion that I never thought I would see reflected in his eyes. He was struggling with it because he has never had to feel guilty about anything.
No one says anything because we are all struggling with something. We all think we could have prevented this somehow.
I sit down and sigh just as Emma walks into the waiting room.
The moment Reaper sees her, all traces of warmth and guilt disappear. Before any of us can do anything, he storms over to her, wraps his hand around her neck and shoves her against the wall.
“What the hell are you doing?” Travis shouts at him, but he doesn’t stop.
Emma releases a strangled cry. Fear masking her entire face.
I look to the ceiling and sigh. “Let her go, Reaper” He doesn’t listen. In fact he squeezes her neck.
Travis tries to get him off his sister, while the rest stand frozen, but he doesn’t budge.
“If I find out that you had anything to do with hurting Ava, I swear I will gut you. I will make the serial killer documentaries you like watch seem like a fucking fairytale as compared to what I will do to you, am i understors?” I don’t know how the hell he even knows she likes watching serial killer documentaries. Then again, this is Reaper we’re talking about. Nothing he does or knows surprises me.
She nods with wide eyes and tear stained cheeks.
Reaper gives her one more squeeze before letting go.
“You bastard” Travis snarls and swings at Reaper, but he sidesteps him.
“Try to hit me again and you’ll be buried next to your father within a week” he warns him. 2 That seems to sober Travis up pretty quickly. He back away from Reaper. He knows that it’s not an empty threat. If reaper says he’ll do it then that’s exactly what he’ll do.
A nurse comes out and cuts the tense atmosphere.
“Hi, I’m Mary the head nurse in NICU…” Before she can finish, I cut her off.
“Is the baby okay?” She gives me a small smile. “She’s in an incubator which you already know, but so far she’s doing okay.
We’ll have to keep a special eye on her within the next few days to make sure what happened to her mother didn’t leave any permanent damages, but we’re confident that she’ll survive” I breathe a sigh of relief and I feel the same from Reaper who’s standing next to me. 1 “I’m here because we need to name her. Do you know what name her mother chose for her?” No one speaks. For a while until a small voice behind answers “Iris” I turn and find Noah. He was with my parents.
He immediately leaves their hand, takes a few strides and takes mine before looking up at the nurse. novelbin “She didn’t know if the baby was going to be boy or girl, but she told me that if it’s a boy, we’ll name him Kaden and if it’s a girl then she’ll be called Iris.” 4/5 Mary gives him a small smile. “And what’s her last name?” Noah answers confidently.
“Howell.” He pauses. “She’s called Iris Renee Howel
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 119-Hoping against hope I stare at my son. I’m so proud of him and of the bond he has with his mother. No one, not even her best friends and her parents, knew the name she had chosen, yet she had told Noah.
“That’s really good,” Mary says, smiling at Noah. “You’re already shaping up to be a great big brother.” Noah just nods, then looks up at me.
“One day we were on her bed while eating ice cream because she wanted it so much. I asked her what name we were going to give to the baby. We spent hours going through baby names until we settled on those two. It was so much fun, and we laughed a lot.” Tears start filling his eyes once again, and I pull him to my side. It physically hurt to see him hurting. To see him in pain. I wanted to ease his heartache, but I didn’t have the power.
“When will she get better? I miss her so much,” he continues to cry.
I kept quiet because I have no answer to that. Not even the doctors know when or if Ava will wake up.
Mary kneels down to his level. She gently tugs at him a little. Noah doesn’t let me go, but he twists his head to face her.
“Tell you what? How about I let you visit your sister? You’ll be the first person to see her,” she tells him.
“Really?” he asks as he wipes away his tears.
“Really” she smiles. “Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll come to get you. Is that okay?” Noah nods his head as a small smile takes over his lips. The sadness is still there, but it’s been pushed back.
When Mary stands up, I give her an appreciated nod. It may seem like a small thing, but she has done something huge. She has given Noah hope. Something, or rather, someone to hold on to while he waits for his mother to recover.
She nods to the rest and then turns to leave. Taking Noah’s hand, I lead him to the seats. I was damn exhausted. Mentally, psychically, and emotionally. I could use some sleep, but I won’t get it until I see both mother and child.
To my surprise, Calvin, Gunner and Kate walk in. Gunner’s hand is held firmly in Kate’s. They were chatting while Calvin walked behind them. I can’t really tell whether they’ve told Gunner the truth.
I watch as Gunner’s eyes land on Emma. They become huge. I don’t understand that part, because I’m He let’s go of his grandmother’s hand and literally launches himself at Emma. Emma doesn’t have it though. She gently pushes him away from her with a look of disapproval. Gunner’s face falls, and tears start filling his eyes.
He turns around and hugs his father. Calvin in turn glares at Emma, as do Kate, Travis, and everyone else who had watched the interaction.
Emma shrinks into herself but doesn’t say a word.
I look away and stare at Noah. He had his head on my shoulder and was holding my hand. His eyes were closed, but I knew very well that he wasn’t asleep.
“What is he doing here?” The bitter voice makes me look up, only to find Kate pointing a finger at Reaper as hatred and bitterness filter through her eyes.
“He’s here for Ava,” I tell her tiredly Her face twists into something ugly. “I didn’t know that Ava was buddies with criminals.” “Of course you didn’t, since you know nothing about my daughter,” Nora scoffs at Kate.
The women have a stare down. Sure, Kate is a powerhouse, especially as the matriarch of the Sharp family, but she has nothing on Nora Howell.
“If you don’t like the fact that he is here, then you’re free to leave. Personally, I don’t get why the hell you’re here in the first place, given that you treated Ava like shit for years.” That seems to shut Kate up, but it also drenches up something that I wasn’t ready to deal with.
Noah’s eyes snap open. He looks at the rest before looking at me.
“What is Grandpa Theo talking about?” He didn’t say the words loudly, but it was enough to catch everyone’s attention.
A look passes over all their faces. It’s like they’d completely forgotten that Noah was here.
“Nothing, buddy. It’s just a spat between adults. Nothing for you to worry about,” I try to assure him, but he doesn’t buy it.
“No. I know what shit means, and grandpa is talking as if mom wasn’t treated well. Is that it?” His voice becomes hard as it nears the end of the sentence.
Fuck. I was afraid this day would come. I notice that everyone except for Calvin and Gunner stiffens. How do I tell him that Theo was right without making him hate us? Without making him hate me for the way we 2/5 +15 BONUS “Noah, are you ready to see your baby sister?” Mary comes back out with a smile on her face.
I heave a sigh of relief and thank the heavens for the distraction. Noah seems to have forgotten. everything as excitement takes over his features.
“Mr. Woods, you’ll have to accompany him,” she says, turning around as Noah takes her hand.
I nod my head and follow them.
We first enter a separate room where they sanitize us before giving us a medical gown, gloves, and masks to wear. Once that is done, we are then taken to the NICU unit. We pass a few babies who were also in incubators before stopping at one in particular.
Mary smiles at us. “Noah, meet Iris.” One look at her, and she had me wrapped around her tiny fingers. She wasn’t my blood, but she already has my fucking heart in her hands.
Iris, though small, is beautiful. She had her eyes closed, so I couldn’t see her eye color, but everything else, from her nose to her lips and the piece of hair that was sticking out of her pink hat, was Ava. She was a spitting image of her mom.
I feel my heart break watching the tubes sticking out of her. She didn’t deserve this. She should still be cushioned in her mother’s womb.
She’s alive.
Right. That’s what matters.
“Can I hold her?” Noah asks in a small voice.
珍味 Mary was right. Noah was already shaping up to be a great big brother. The love and care he has for his sister were plastered all over his face. There is no fucking way you can miss it.
“No, honey, you can’t…But you can touch her only if you promise to be careful.” He nods. Mary helps him get his hands inside the incubator. He softly touches her cheeks, and she leans into him, though she doesn’t wake up.
We stay inside for a while until the nurse lets us know it’s time for us to leave. I walk back to the waiting room with Noah after we get out of the protective gear. I felt like I was in a fucking dream. Like I was in the present, but not at the same time.
“Where is Theo?” I ask my brother while taking a seat near him.
3/5 +15 BONUS Nora was by herself, and she looked so sad. So heartbroken.
“He’s with Ava. The nurse couldn’t let both of them in so Nora went first.” Mary comes back again and asks who else wants to see Iris. Reaper, step forward. No one argues as she leads him to see his niece.
“How’s Iris?” he asks.
“Beautiful” Noah still looks mesmerized. “For some reason, I think she looks like Mom.” “He’s right,” I add. “She’s the spitting image of her mother.” We stay in silence after that. A few moments later, Reaper comes out, phone in hand. He answers and, after a few words, hangs up.
“It’s time for me to leave, but I’ll be in contact.” He tells me “For Ava and Iris’s sake I’m willing to put our differences aside and catch the bastard that did this to them.” “Fine,” I mutter, and give him my hand, which he shakes.
“Aren’t you going to wait to see her?” Theo asks as he emerges from the room.
“Not today. I’ve run out of time.” With that, he turns and leaves. I watch him, wondering why he left in such a hurry. My question is answered when Ethan walks in, escorted by police officers.
I can’t figure out if Reaper’s hurried rush has something to do with seeing his brother, the police, or both.
I feel the familiar anger every time I think about Ethan. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for playing and deceiving Ava. 2 Standing up, I’m about to confront the bastard when a hand clamps down on my shoulder.
“We pulled some strings to get him here,” Theo begins. “You’re a father, so you understand that he has as much right to be here as the rest of you. Probably more, given he almost lost his daughter.” That stops me in my tracks as I watch Nora stand up and hug him. He hugs her back while fighting his emotions.
“Don’t start a fight. It isn’t worth it. Besides, I think you’d much rather go see Ava.” 1 I grit my teeth but nod my head. He’s right. No matter Ethan’s sin, he deserves to see the daughter he came close to losing.
+15 BONUS I turn around just as the nurse calls for the next visitor. I ask if it’s okay if Noah and I go in together, and thankfully, she agrees.
We go through the same procedure we went through before seeing Iris. The moment we get inside her room, my tough resolve crumbles, and I collapse in the seat as my legs fail me.
Her head was wrapped in a bandage. The neck was in a neck collar. She had scratches on her face, probably from the glass that broke during the hit. As if that wasn’t bad enough, she had all these tubes sticking out of her and machines surrounding her.
I take one of her hands while Noah takes the other one.
“Mommy,” he calls, but of course she doesn’t answer.
She looks so peaceful. As if she were just sleeping, but we all know that’s not the case, and that’s what breaks my heart.
I try to force the words out, but nothing leaves my mouth except a strangled cry.
‘Please come back to me,‘ I beg. ‘I need you‘
Ex-Husbands Regret Chapter 120-It’s been three months. Three fucking months since Ava was shot, and she’s yet to wake up. With each month that goes by, everyone is slowly losing hope that she’ll ever wake up.
It’s frustrating as hell, but there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s now beyond anyone’s power.
She was taken off the machine a month after her accident. She didn’t need them to breathe since her lungs were doing just fine. They even transferred her to a normal room. We all thought she’d come out of the coma then, but it never happened. Two months down the line, and we are still waiting.
“Should I wait for you, Mr. Wood?” my driver asks just before I get out of the car.
“It’s not necessary. I’ll call you when I’m done.” I get out of the car and walk into the hospital. The staff greets me because I have been a regular visitor for the past few months.
I just nod my head. I feel the tiredness down to my bones. I haven’t had a moment of peace since that day. Sleep flees from me every single night, and I’m left either staring at the ceiling all night or working.
Due to the circumstances, Noah is back to living with me. He’s here every day after school. Visiting his mother and sister. I see the toll everything is taking on him, but I know it’ll only be better when Ava and Iris leave the hospital.
I head first to see Iris before seeing Ava. That little girl has won my heart these past few months. Her resilience and strength to overcome what was thrown at her remind me of her mother.
“You’re here, Rowan; let me just get our little princess ready,” Mary says as she busies herself. 1 Iris was taken out of the incubator a week ago. The doctors said that she was now healthy and out of danger. Since she had reached the nine–month milestone, there was no need for her to remain there. 2 Minutes later, Mary is handing Iris over to me.
“Hey princess, How are you doing today?” I ask her with a smile.
I hold her tiny form in my chest and rock her back and forth. She doesn’t cry; she just stares at me in fascination. She looked like Ava, but her blue eyes were Ethan’s. She’s definitely going to be a knockout when she’s older.
I run my finger down her cheek, and she grips it in a tight hold. I smile at that. She’s become the highlight of my day, a part from Noah. She may not be my biological daughter, but in my heart, she was. Nothing can change that.
“It’s now time for her bath,” Mary informs me.
I look up at the ticking clock only to realize almost forty minutes have gone by. Iris is precious. While with her, you easily forget everything else going on around you.
I let Mary take her away from me. This is usually the hardest fucking part. Letting her go.
“I’ll come to say goodbye to her once I’m done visiting Ava,” I say as I stand.
She nods her head and turns to leave. I watch them, feeling the heaviness in my heart get worse with each step she takes away from me.
I was just about to leave when the pediatrician stopped me.
“Do you have a minute, Rowan? I want to talk to you,” she asks in a gentle and kind voice.
She’s around my mother’s age, and she just has this aura that immediately calms you down when you’re around.
“Sure, about what?” “It’s about Iris. As you know, she reached nine months a week ago, and since she’s healthy and no longer in any danger, we’ll have to release her from the hospital.” I stare at her, not really knowing what to do. “You can’t do that. Her mother hasn’t woken up yet.” “I know, but those are the rules of the hospital. One of you has to take her home whether Ava wakes up or not” Fuck. I run my hands through my messy hair. “Can’t she stay for just a little bit?” “I’m sorry, but no. We can only allow her to stay until tomorrow, but that’s it” novelbin I nod my head. “Okay. I’ll discuss it with her grandparents.” Without waiting, I walk out of the nursery and head straight towards Ava’s room. I was about to enter, when the door opens. Nora and Theo come out of the room.
“Just the people I wanted to see” the doctor’s voice makes all three of us turn to face him.
“Is there a problem?” Theó asks, concern marring his face.
“Yes. I want you to consider a certain option for Ava. Usually patients wake up from the coma within a month, the fact Ava hasn’t concerns us and we are afraid that she won’t be able to” I feel dread rising in my back. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I don’t fucking like where this conversation is going.
“But you told us she might recover,” Nora points out.
“Yes, might, but now I’m not too confident. Not when there is little brain activity‘ he takes a deep breath.” I suggest you consider stopping her treatment” The sounds that comes of my mouth can only be described as a snarl. “In other words, you’re asking us to end her life. To kill her” “I’m sorry, but yes. She hasn’t responded to treatment and J fear that she may never will. At this point, it would take a miracle for her to wake” Feeling tired of hearing his nonsense I turn.
“Then that is what we will wait for. A fucking miracle, cause there is no fucking way we’re going to do what you’re suggesting.” I don’t wait to hear his response or those of Nora and Theo. I walk away and enter Ava’s room.
Collapsing on the chair, I take her hand in mine.
“Please, Ava. Come back. We can’t do without you. Noah misses you so much, and so do I. Iris also needs you, now more than ever. They want to release her from the hospital. Please. Please wake up,” I beg.
There is nothing from her side. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t open her eyes. She doesn’t speak.
“They want us to consider ending your life. Please don’t make me do that. Don’t make me watch while they kill you. You need to open those fucking beautiful eyes.” I place my head on my hand and just lean into her. For the first time since her shooting, I let my tears fall.
I can’t stop them even if I want to, so I just let them fucking flow.
I let the sorrow and heartache that I’ve been holding in wash over me. I was supposed to be strong for Noah, Iris, and her, but now I feel like the weakest fucker to ever walk the earth.
I continue silently crying. Begging God for a miracle and begging Ava to wake up I don’t know how long I was bent over when I felt soft, trembling fingers running down my face.
At first, I thought it was just my imagination until a voice called my name. It’s hoarse, but it’s 3/4 “Rowan I take a deep breath before rising my head, so afraid that it was all a dream, but it wasn’t. My eyes clash with her confused ones.
Holy fuck. Ava was awake.